Advancing Family Science Section Update

Raeann R. Hamon, Ph.D., CFLE, Advancing Family Science Section Chair
Fall 2017 NCFR Report

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We just spent an intense few months reviewing proposals and building the program for the 2017 NCFR Annual Conference in Orlando. This is one that you will not want to miss! The program will be packed with lots of great options. The Advancing Family Science (AFS) Section will be sponsoring several engaging paper and symposium sessions, including “Pedagogical Strategies for Teaching Professional Skills and Difficult Topics in Family Science,” “Experiential Practice as Catalysts for Student Learning; Engagement in Classroom Activities for the Teaching of Family Theories,” “Fostering Student Success and Professional Identity,” and “Enhancing Family Science Programs and Student Experience Within Them.” In addition to a number of poster presentations, AFS will sponsor the workshop “Designing a SoTL Research Project to Measure the Effectiveness of Educational Case Studies.” Plus, after a short AFS business meeting, we will join together with the Educational and Enrichment Section to host a number of engaging roundtables.  

I plan to propose a number of potential projects during our brief business meeting. First, I’d like to suggest that we create a new award for the Section: AFS Outstanding Published Paper. Such an award could help us to elevate work on scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) and papers published in Family Science Review specifically. This might increase the volume and quality of pedagogically focused papers published in the journal. Second, I’d like us to consider doing something similar to the Family Therapy Section. That section has begun recognizing Legacy Scholars from the section. We might do the same, calling the designation Legacy Teacher, Legacy Scholar, or some other name. This could help to foster consistent and committed membership in the Section. We could also ask these Legacy members to serve as mentors or offer a roundtable after our business meeting. There might be other roles for these honored members, as well. Finally, I’d like to gauge the level of interest in developing a new syllabus collection for the 10 Family Life Education content areas. I participated in a previous syllabus collection many years ago and think that many people might be interested in sharing syllabi and course construction ideas. If you have particular interest in heading a committee or activity on any of these projects, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you in Orlando in November.